Data-providing system, transmission server, data terminal, apparatus, authoring apparatus and data-providing method

ABSTRACT

A data-providing system comprising a first data-transmitting section (control unit  1 ), a control section (control unit  3 ), and a second data-transmitting section (control unit  3 ). The first data-transmitting section transmits a continuous stream of content data that consists of multimedia content groups, each composed of program data and auxiliary data items. The control section processes data items obtained by dividing each program data, attribute data of the auxiliary data items and user profile data, thereby to automatically assemble new data. The second data-transmitting section changes the order in which to transmit the auxiliary data items inserted in a program, in accordance with the new data assembled by the control section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a data-providing system, atransmission server, a data terminal apparatus and a data-providingmethod, each designed to achieve streaming transmission of multimediacontents, such as dynamic-picture data, still-picture data, audio data,computer data and the like, through Internet, a cable televisionnetwork, a personal-computer communication network, a large-scale LAN ora data communication network such as radio communication network or awire broadcasting network.

[0002] In a data communication network such as Internet, streamingtransmission of data is performed, enabling users to select and obtainat their terminals any on-demand programs they want.

[0003] The on-demand programs are stored in the transmission center thattransmits or broadcasts the on-demand programs. Among the programs thetransmission center stores are:

[0004] 1. Year-end movies and new-year movies, each containingcommercials for Christmas sales

[0005] 2. Year-end movies and new-year movies, each containingcommercials for new-year sales

[0006] 3. Year-end movies and new-year movies to be broadcast in nighthours, each containing commercials for commercials

[0007] Upon receipt of a demand from any user, the transmission centerselects and transmits the program (e.g., a movie of any of thecategories 1 to 3 described above) the user wants to enjoy. Differentprices are set to the on-demand programs and costs are distributed tothem.

[0008] Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-18851 discloses a systemin which video programs are distributed via a network, any program isselected at a terminal, and a user can select a program containingcommercials or a program containing no commercials at his terminal.

[0009] In the existing on-demand broadcasting, the user can selects aplurality of programs at a time but cannot select one of the versions,if available, of the same program.

[0010] As the Internet technology advances, various contents prepared tomeet the users' tastes are distributed in increasing numbers. People nowwish to obtain data customized to their tastes, rather than theinformation presented by mass media. If data customized to the differenttastes of the users is prepared, it will be an extremely amount of data.To store a large amount of data, the transmission center needs to have alarge storage capacity. In addition, it takes much time and labor toedit programs to adapt them to the users' tastes that keep changing.

[0011] In the on-demand broadcasting practiced hitherto, one price isset to a combination of programs and a cost is distributed thereto. Ifthe combination of programs is changed immediately before the programsare transmitted, it becomes difficult to determine what should be theprice of the new combination and how the cost should be distributedthereto. Further, the storage capacity the transmission center must havefor the library of programs grows considerably large. The transmissioncenter needs to have an extremely large storage capacity, particularlyif there is prepared a plurality of various parts that are to beinserted into programs. In this case, price-setting andcost-distribution are required for each of these program parts.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide adata-providing system, a transmission server, a data terminal apparatus,an authoring apparatus and a data-providing method, which canre-assemble data in real time in response to an instruction suppliedfrom a terminal, said data being a combination of program data andauxiliary data items, which are to be transmitted.

[0013] Another object of the invention is to provide a data-providingsystem, a transmission server, a data terminal apparatus, an authoringapparatus and a data-providing method, in which different prices anddifferent cost distributions can be allocated to contents which havebeen assembled in different manners.

[0014] A data-providing system according to this invention comprises afirst data-transmitting section, a control section and a seconddata-transmitting section. The first data-transmitting section transmitsa continuous stream of content data that consists of multimedia contentgroups, each composed of program data and auxiliary data items. Thecontrol section processes data items obtained by dividing each programdata, attribute data of the auxiliary data items and user profile data,thereby to automatically assemble new data. The second data-transmittingsection selects the auxiliary data items to be inserted into the programdata in accordance with the new data assembled by the control section,thereby to transmit a continuous stream of content data that consists ofmultimedia content groups, each composed of the program data and theauxiliary data items.

[0015] Another data-providing system according to the inventioncomprises a first data-transmitting section, a control section and asecond data-transmitting section. The first data-transmitting sectiontransmits a continuous stream of content data that consists ofmultimedia content groups, each composed of pre-assembled program dataand auxiliary data items. The control section processes data itemsobtained by dividing each program data, attribute data of the auxiliarydata items and user profile data, thereby to automatically assemble newdata. The second data-transmitting section selects the auxiliary dataitems to be inserted into the program data in accordance with the newdata assembled by the control section, thereby to transmit a continuousstream of data.

[0016] A data-providing system according the invention comprises atransmission server section and a terminal section. The transmissionserver section performs streaming transmission of on-demand programs.The terminal section performs streaming reception of the on-demandprograms transmitted from the transmission server section. The terminalsection has a function of selecting a set of auxiliary data items to beinserted into a program, from sets of auxiliary data items, and afunction of transmitting a signal representing the selected set ofauxiliary data items, along with a terminal code of the terminalsection. The transmission server section has a function of receiving thesignal transmitted from the terminal section and representing theselected set of auxiliary data items, assembling the auxiliary dataitems in real time, and transmitting the same in accordance with atransmission list of auxiliary data items that correspond to the set ofauxiliary data items inserted in a series of programs to be transmittedto the terminal section.

[0017] A data-providing system according to this invention comprises anauthoring section, a transmission server section, and a terminalsection. The authoring section has a function of registering, storingand transmitting program prices for user, a function of registering,storing and transmitting supplier-side equivalent conditions, a functionof designating positions at which to insert auxiliary data items into aprogram, a function of designating auxiliary data items to be insertedinto a program from auxiliary data libraries, and a function ofdetermining an order in which to transmit the auxiliary data itemsprepared for a program and holding the order determined, in the form ofan auxiliary data transmission list. The transmission server sectiontransmits a continuous stream of content data that consists ofmultimedia content groups, each being an assembly prepared and composedof program data and auxiliary data items. The terminal section performsstreaming reception of the on-demand programs transmitted from thetransmission server section. The terminal section has a function ofselecting a set of auxiliary data items to be inserted into a program,from sets of auxiliary data items, and a function of transmitting asignal representing the selected set of auxiliary data items, along witha terminal code of the terminal section. The transmission server sectionhas a function of receiving the signal transmitted from the terminalsection and representing the selected set of auxiliary data items,assembling the auxiliary data items in real time, and transmitting thesame in accordance with a transmission list of auxiliary data items thatcorrespond to the set of auxiliary data items inserted in a series ofprograms which are to be transmitted to the terminal section.

[0018] A transmission server according to the invention processes dataitems obtained by dividing each program data, attribute data of theauxiliary data items, and user profile data, thereby to automaticallyassemble data. The sever selects a group of auxiliary data items to beinserted into the program data, in accordance with the data thusassembled, and transmits a stream of the group of auxiliary data items.

[0019] A data terminal apparatus according to the present invention hasa function of performing streaming reception of the on-demand programstransmitted from a transmission server, selecting a set of auxiliarydata items to be inserted into a program, from sets of auxiliary dataitems, and transmitting a signal representing the selected set ofauxiliary data items, along with a terminal code of the terminalsection.

[0020] An authoring apparatus according to the invention has a functionof registering, storing and transmitting program prices for user, afunction of registering, storing and transmitting supplier-sideequivalent conditions, a function of designating positions at which toinsert auxiliary data items into a program, a function of designatingauxiliary data items to be inserted into a program from auxiliary datalibraries, and a function of determining an order in which to transmitthe auxiliary data items prepared for a program and holding the orderdetermined, in the form of an auxiliary data transmission list.

[0021] A data-providing method according to the invention comprises thesteps of: processing data items obtained by dividing each program data,attribute data of the auxiliary data items, and user profile data,thereby to automatically assemble data; selecting a group of auxiliarydata items to be inserted into the program data in accordance with thedata thus assembled; and transmitting a continuous stream of contentdata that consists of multimedia content groups, each composed ofprogram data and auxiliary data items.

[0022] A data-providing method according to this invention comprises thesteps of: transmitting a continuous stream of content data that consistsof multimedia content groups, each composed of program data andauxiliary data items; processing data items obtained by dividing eachprogram data, attribute data of the auxiliary data items and userprofile data, thereby to automatically assemble new data; and selectingthe auxiliary data items to be inserted into the program data inaccordance with the new data assembled by the control section, therebyto transmit a continuous stream of data.

[0023] A data-providing method according to the present inventioncomprises the steps of: selecting a set of auxiliary data items to beinserted into a program, from sets of auxiliary data items, at aterminal that receives a stream of on-demand programs from atransmission server; transmitting from the terminal a signalrepresenting the selected set of auxiliary data items, along with aterminal code of the terminal section; receiving, at the transmissionserver, the signal transmitted from the terminal and representing theselected set of auxiliary data items; assembling, in the transmissionsever, the auxiliary data items in real time in accordance with atransmission list of auxiliary data items that correspond to the set ofauxiliary data items inserted in a series of programs to be transmittedto the terminal; and transmitting the auxiliary data items from thetransmission server.

[0024] As described above, the present invention utilizes thecharacteristics of on-demand broadcasting, enabling users to insert ornot some of auxiliary data items into packaged program data, withoutnecessity of producing a plurality of programs. This saves the time forediting programs. Since data items are assembled in real time andtransmitted, the transmission server need not have a large storagecapacity. Further, the prices and credit points of programs andauxiliary data items are prescribed as “program prices for user” and“advantages and disadvantages of auxiliary data items.” This makes itpossible to calculate immediately the prices at which the users may buythe contents. The users can know the prices thus calculated and canapply the prices directly to a charge-settling system. Moreover, theequivalents the user needs to pay for the programs and auxiliary dataitems are determined from “program equivalent conditions for users” and“auxiliary data equivalent conditions for users.” Therefore, theequivalents that should be paid among the suppliers and players forusing the contents can be calculated at the site and directly applied tothe charge-settling system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0025]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the various sections of adata-providing system according to the present invention;

[0026]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relation between eachprogram, on the one hand, and the price thereof and the BY-side programequivalent conditions;

[0027]FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of program cues andCM-inserting process;

[0028]FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting the CM library incorporated in thedata-providing system;

[0029]FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of preparing a CM setand a CM-transmission list;

[0030]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another method of preparing a CM setand a CM-transmission list;

[0031]FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting the data to transmit, in which no CMsets are inserted;

[0032]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the codes of programs into which CMsets are to be inserted in the data-providing system;

[0033]FIG. 9 is a diagram explaining how to determine the advantages anddisadvantages the user may have when he uses the data-providing system;

[0034]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the relation between theadvantages and disadvantages of each CM set and the BY-side CMequivalent condition of the CM set, observed in the data-providingsystem;

[0035]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a method of calculating the datasupplier's cost from the BY-side program equivalent conditions and theBY-side CM equivalent conditions, in the data-providing system;

[0036]FIG. 12 is a flow chart explaining the operation sequenceperformed in the data-providing system; and

[0037]FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of thedata-providing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] An embodiment of the present invention will be described, withreference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] The present invention is applied to, for example, adata-providing system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The data-providing system 100comprises a program-providing section 10, a CM sponsor section 20, anauthoring section 30, a transmission server section 40, acharge-settling section 50, and a terminal section 60.

[0040] The program-providing section 10 incorporated in the system 100has a communication function 10A of receiving data from, andtransmitting data to, the CM sponsor section 20, authoring section 30and charge-settling section 50. The program-providing section 10 has adata-depositing function 10B that transmits programs and accompanyingdata to the authoring section 30. The accompanying data includes programprices for users, BY(backyard)-side program equivalent conditions,possible cue positions designated. Further, the program-providingsection 10 has a program-providing function 10C that supplies programdata to the CM sponsor section 20. Moreover, the program-providingsection 10 has a charge-settling function 10D, which settles charges inaccordance with the periodical statement sent from the charge-settlingsection 50 and concerning each player, i.e., a CM sponsor.

[0041] The CM sponsor section 20 provided in the data-providing system100 has a communication function 20A, which receives data from, andtransmits data to, the program-providing section 10, authoring section30 and charge-settling section 50. The CM sponsor section 20 has adata-transmitting function 20B that transmits accompanying data to theauthoring section 30. The accompanying data includes CM clips andBY-side CM equivalent conditions. Further, the CM sponsor section 20 hasa charge-settling function 20C, which settles charges in accordance withthe periodical statement sent from the charge-settling section 50 andconcerning each player, i.e., a CM sponsor.

[0042] The authoring section 30 provided in the data-providing system100 has a communication function 30A. The function 30A receives datafrom, and transmits data to, the program-providing section 10, CMsponsor section 20, transmission server section 40 and charge-settlingsection 50. The authoring section 30 also has a cue-mark insertingfunction 30B that inserts cue marks, each designating a position in aprogram, where a CM should be inserted in a program. The data of theprogram and the cue mark may constitute a pair of data items that havethe common program code and time code. Alternatively, the cue mark maybe inserted into the data of the program, in the form of a specialsignal. Consequently, the authoring section 30 has aregistering/storing/transmitting function for the program datacontaining a cue mark-group or a cue mark. Further, the authoringsection 30 has a CM-group designating function 30C that designates atleast one of CM groups included in a CM library, which should beinserted into a specified program, in accordance with the advice made bythe CM sponsor section 20. The CM-group designating function 30C alsoallocates programs codes designating the programs into which CM groupsshould be inserted, in accordance with the advice made by the CM sponsorsection 20. The CM groups designated by the CM-group designatingfunction 30C will be called “CM sets” hereinafter. The authoring section30 has a first registering/storing/transmitting function 30D. Thisfunction 30D registers, stores and transmits the program prices forusers, i.e., the prices the users should pay for the programstransmitted (or not transmitted) to them. The firstregistering/storing/transmitting function 30D also registers, stores andtransmits the BY-side program equivalent conditions, i.e., theconditions in which the suppliers (players such as CM sponsors,transmission server owners, authoring function owners, charge-settlingfunction owners, program providers and the like) transmit (or do nottransmit) programs. The authoring section 30 has a secondregistering/storing/transmitting function 30E, which determines theorder in which the CM sets prepared for a certain program should betransmitted, in accordance with the advice made by the CM sponsorsection 20. The function 30E stores the order thus determined, as aCM-transmission list. The function 30E registers, stores and transmitsthe CM advantages and disadvantages that the users may have when CMsdesignated in the CM-transmission list are transmitted (or nottransmitted). The authoring section 30 further has a thirdregistering/storing/transmitting function 30F. This function 30Fregisters, stores and transmits the BY-side CM equivalent conditionsspecifying the equivalents which should be paid among the suppliers(players such as CM sponsors, transmission server owners, authoringfunction owners, charge-settling function owners, program providers andthe like) when the CMs included in the CM-transmission list aretransmitted (or not transmitted). The authoring section has acharge-settling function 30G, too. The charge-settling function 30Gsettles charges in accordance with the periodical statement sent fromthe charge-settling section 50 and concerning each player, i.e., eachauthoring function.

[0043] The authoring section 30 having various functions 30A to 30G caninsert cue marks, each being a signal indicating where in a program a CMcan be inserted. A cue mark is nothing more than a trigger. Which CMshould be inserted in the program is determined from the CM-transmissionlist and the CM set. CM groups to be inserted later can therefore beeasily interchanged. CM numbers may be allocated to the positions of cuemarks, thereby to hold signals, each of which neglects or adopts a cuemark. The authoring section 30 can designate (upon receipt of an advicefrom a CM sponsor) a plurality of CM groups that should be inserted intoa specific program from many CM libraries. The authoring section 30 candetermine (upon receipt of an advice from a CM sponsor) the order inwhich the CM sets prepared for a program should be transmitted. Theauthoring section 30 can hold the data showing this order, in the formof a plurality of CM-transmission lists. Further, the authoring section30 can register, store and transmit the CM advantages of disadvantagesthat the user may have when the series of CMs designated in theCM-transmission lists are transmitted (or not transmitted). Moreover,the authoring section 30 can register, store and transmit the BY-side CMequivalent conditions specifying the equivalents which should be paidamong the suppliers (players such as CM sponsors, transmission serverowners, authoring function owners, charge-settling function owners,program providers and the like) when the CMs included in theCM-transmission lists are transmitted (or not transmitted).

[0044] The transmission server section 40 incorporated in thedata-providing system 100 has a communication function 40A that receivesdata from, and transmits data to, the authoring section 30,charge-settling section 50 and terminal section 60. The transmissionserver section 40 has an archive function 40B that achieves program datacontaining cue marks, CM data, CM sets, program codes to be inserted,CM-transmission lists, transmission conditions and the like. The section40 has a process-managing function 40C that receives terminal codestransmitted from the terminal section 60, selects terminals and managesthe processes in the terminals. The transmission server section 40 hasan advantage/disadvantage determining function 40D. The function 40Ddetermines advantages and disadvantages from the program prices forusers and the CM advantages and disadvantages. The advantages anddisadvantages determined are transmitted to the terminals. The section40 further has a menu-transmitting function 40E that transmits the datashowing a program-selecting menu and a CM menu. The section 40 has acontrol-process generating function 40F, too, which generates a controlprocess of receiving a CM menu and inserting or not inserting a terminalcode. The transmission server section 40 further has an assemblyfunction 40G that effects real-time assembling of any program selectedand CMs to be inserted into the program, generating a program-CMassembly. The program-CM assembly is transmitted to the terminals. Thesection 40 has a final result transmitting function 40H that transmitsthe data representing the advantages and disadvantages of the programand CMs, which have been determined, to the charge-settling section 50.The section 40 has a charge-calculating function 40I, too, thatcalculates the equivalents to be transferred among the players, from theBY-side program equivalent conditions and the BY-side CM equivalentconditions for the CMs of each CM set. The equivalents thus calculatedare transmitted to the charge-settling section 50. The transmissionserver section 40 has a transmission-record storing function 40J thatstores the transmission record of CMs. The section 40 has acharge-settling function 40K that settles charges in accordance with theperiodical statement sent from the charge-settling section 50 andconcerning each player, i.e., each transmission server function.

[0045] The transmission server section 40 having various functions 40Ato 40K can determine the advantages and disadvantages the user may havewhen he receives a program containing CMs or does not receive the same,from the user price of the program and the CM advantages anddisadvantages of the CM sets that may be inserted into the program. Thesection 40 can transmit the advantages and disadvantages, thusdetermined, to the user designated by a terminal code, as a response toa CM menu request. Further, the section 40 can receive from a terminal asignal representing the CM set that has been selected to be insertedinto a program. The section 40 can assemble auxiliary data items in realtime and transmit the same in accordance with the procedure oftransmitting the auxiliary data items in the form of an auxiliary-dataset inserted in the programs to be transmitted to the terminal.Moreover, the section 40 can transmits the program a customer using theterminal designated by a terminal code has selected, and also theadvantages and disadvantages determined from the CM set inserted in theprogram, to the charge-settling section 50 (serving as a subscribermanagement system). The section 40 can transmit the advantages anddisadvantages to the terminal, too. Further, the transmission serversection 40 can supply charge-settling data to the DB (Database) of eachplayer (CM sponsor, transmission server owner, authoring function owner,charge-settling function owner, program provider or the like), so thatthe charge-settling data may be managed in the DB. The charge-settingdata shows the payments made among the suppliers (i.e., players) andcalculated from the BY-side program equivalent conditions and theBY-side CM equivalent conditions for the CMs shown in theCM-transmission list inserted in the program.

[0046] The charge-settling section 50 provided in the in thedata-providing system 100 has a communication function 50A. The function50A receives data from, and transmits data to, the program-providingsection 10, CM sponsor section 20, authoring section 30, transmissionserver section 40 and terminal section 60. The section 50 has a terminalsettlement function 50B, which receives the output of the final resulttransmitting function 40H provided in the transmission server section 40and settles charges for each terminal by using the data base DB. Thesection 50 has a player-charge calculating function 50C, which receivesthe charge-settling data generated by the charge-calculating function40I of the transmission server section 40 and represents the equivalentsto be settled among the players. The player-charge calculating function50C performs charge-settling for each player by using the DB. Thecharge-settling section 50 also has two settlement-data management DBfunctions 50D and 50E. The function 50D manages settlement data for eachterminal. The function 50E manages settlement data for each player.Further, the section 50 has a terminal-settlement function 50F, whichachieves charge-settling for each terminal, and prepares and transmits aperiodical statement for each terminal. Still further, the section 50has a player settlement function 50G, which achieves charge-settling foreach player, and prepares and transmits a periodical statement for eachterminal.

[0047] The charge-settling section 50 having various functions 50A to50G can periodically tabulate the user's advantages and disadvantagesstored in the DB and managed by each terminal and can transmit astatement to the user, so that the user may accomplishcharge-settlement. The section 50 can also periodically tabulate theequivalents calculated to be paid among suppliers (i.e., players such asCM sponsor, transmission server owner, authoring function owner,charge-settling function owner, program provider and the like), and cantransmit a statement to each player so that the player may accomplishcharge-settlement.

[0048] The terminal section 60 of the data-providing system 100 is aterminal that can receive a stream of on-demand programs via theInternet or a similar network. The section 60A has buttons that areoperated to select CMs to be inserted into a program. The buttons may beprovided on the remote controller for the section 60. The terminalsection 60 has a communication function 60A for receiving data from, andtransmitting data to, the transmission server section 40 andcharge-settling section 50. The section has a terminal-codestoring/transmitting function 60B, too, which reads terminal codes fromthe terminals and transmits the terminal codes to the transmissionserver section 40. The section 60 has a programdisplaying/selecting/transmitting function 60C, which receives anddisplays a program menu, selects programs from the menu, and transmitsthe result of program selection. Further, the terminal section 60 has aCM-menu displaying function 60D, which requests the transmission serversection 40 for a CM menu (showing advantages and disadvantages, too),receives a CM menu from the transmission server section 40 and displaysthe CM menu it has received. The section 60 has anadvantage/disadvantage displaying function 60E, too, which displaysadvantages and disadvantages. The section 60 has a CM-menuselecting/transmitting function 60F, which selects a CM menu andtransmits the same. The section 60 has a reproducing function 60G thatreproduces the content data the section 60 received. Further, thesection 60 has an account-data displaying function 60H, which requeststhe charge-settling section 50 for account data, receives the accountdata and display the same. The terminal section 60 has a charge-settlingfunction 60I, which receives a periodical statement from thecharge-settling section 50 and performs charge-settling based on thestatement.

[0049] The terminal section 60 having various functions 60A to 60I canselect a program that the user may enjoy and transmit a CM menu requestsignal, together with a terminal code, in order to receive theadvantages and disadvantages the user may have when the program iscombined with CMs and when the program is not combined with CMs. Theterminal section 60 can inform the user of the advantages anddisadvantages determined from the combination of the program and theCMs, before the user selects the program. Moreover, the terminal section60 can transmit two signals, along with its own terminal code, to thetransmission server section 40. The first signal indicates that thesection 60 has received a CM group selected. The second signal indicatesthat a CM set selected to be inserted in the program. If the secondsignal is a null signal, it means that the terminal section 60 hasreceived no CMs.

[0050] Needless to say, the CMs transferred within the data-providingsystem 100 include ordinary advertisement data items. The CMs mayinclude other data items, for example, the answers to the questionsasked in a quiz show, special offers made to selected customers, or theitems of a questionnaire, to which “YES” or “NO” should be input. Thedata items auxiliary to the data of program are collectively be called“CMs” here.

[0051] The price of a program containing no CMs is not necessarily behigher than the price of a program containing no CMs. It is important toput prices to programs in accordance with the nature of CMs, if any,inserted in a program. For instance, a program containing the answers tothe questions made in a quiz show is more expensive than a program notcontaining the answers. If a program contains a questionnaire and if theuser answers the questions, the user may be paid.

[0052] In the data-providing system 100, each program has content data,i.e., the program data, and accompanying data items A1 to A4 describedbelow:

[0053] A1: Program price for user

[0054] The program price for user is one the user should pay for theprogram he receives during a prescribed period. It is determined from,for example, the following conditions:

[0055] Basic charge=1000 yen, which the user must pay to thecharge-settling section 50

[0056] CM-insertion charge=100 yen for each CM, to be paid to thecharge-settling section 50

[0057] Charge for inserting CM 456=400 pints, which the user receivesfrom the advertiser 456

[0058] It is not stipulated that charge-settling be made every time atransaction is performed. Rather, the data concerning charge-settling iscollected at the charge-settling section 50, which settle all charges.

[0059] A2: BY-side program equivalent conditions

[0060] The BY-side program equivalent conditions are applied todetermine which function must pay charges to which function, for anyprogram transmitted during the prescribed period. These conditions areas follows:

[0061] The charge-settling section 50 must pay a basic charge of 300 yento the program-providing section 10.

[0062] The charge-settling section 50 must pay 10 yen to thetransmission server section 40 and 10 yen to the authoring section 30,when a CM is inserted into the program.

[0063]FIG. 2 shows the relation that the program price for user has withthe BY-side program equivalent conditions.

[0064] A3: Program code

[0065] The program code is the code given to each program for specifyingthe program.

[0066] A4: Cue mark

[0067] A cue mark is a special signal contained in the time-code data orprogram, indicating the position at which a CM should be inserted in theprogram.

[0068] In the transmission server section 40, the assembly function 40Gperforms real-time assembling of CMs, referring to the cue mark. Whenthe cue mark is found, the section 40 stops transmitting the program.Then, the section 40 transmits the CMs in the CM set shown in theCM-transmission list, in the order described in the CM-transmissionlist. Immediately after the CMs terminate, the section 40 startstransmitting the program again. As long as cue marks follow one afteranother, the section 40 continuously transmits CMs in the prescribedorder, without transmitting the program again.

[0069] Time codes (4096, 9098, 10110 and 12959) may designate the cuepositions for the data of program 1234 identified by program code 1234,as is shown in FIG. 3 or as set forth below:

[0070] Cue No. 1: 4096

[0071] Cue No. 2: 9098

[0072] Cue No. 3: 10110

[0073] Cue No. 4: 12959.

[0074] In this case, the data of program 1234 is divided into pieces 1to 5, and cue marks are interposed among these data pieces 1 to 5. Thecue marks indicate the positions A to D at which CMs will be inserted inthe program.

[0075] Assume that a CM library has been prepared, which is composed ofCMs 22 to 28 as illustrated in FIG. 4, and that a CM set 401 to beinserted into program code 1234 is composed of CM 22, CM 23 and CM 24 asshown at A in FIG. 5. Then, a CM-transmission list shown at B in FIG. 5is prepared. In accordance with the CM-transmission list, CM 24, CM 22and CM 23 are inserted in the program 1234, respectively at theCM-inserting positions A, B and D, as is illustrated at C in FIG. 5. CMs22, 23 and 24 can thereby be transmitted.

[0076] Assume that a CM set 501 to be inserted into program code 1234 iscomposed of CM 25, CM 26, CM27 and CM 28 as shown at A in FIG. 6. Then,a CM-transmission list shown at B in FIG. 6 is prepared. In accordancewith this CM-transmission list, CM 25, CM 26, CM 27 and CM 28 areinserted in the program 1234, respectively at the CM-inserting positionsA, B, C and D, as is illustrated at C in FIG. 6. CMs 25 to 28 canthereby be transmitted.

[0077] A CM set to be inserted into a program may be null. In this case,the data of the program 1234 (i.e., pieces 1 to 5) can be transmitted inthe order shown in FIG. 7.

[0078] To use the CM set 401 for not only the program 1234, but also theprograms 4456 and 5377, the programs in which CM sets are to be insertedhave such codes as are illustrated in FIG. 8. It is natural thatdifferent CM-transmission lists be prepared, each for one program.

[0079] In the data-providing system 100, each CM is composed of CMcontent data and accompanying data (B1), which will be described later.

[0080] In the system 100, each cue marks is no more than a CM-insertingtrigger. Which CM should be inserted at which position in a program isdetermined from the CM set and the CM-transmission list. The CM group tobe inserted in the program can be easily replaced by another CM group.Alternatively, the ID numbers of CMs may be allocated to the cue markpositions, and signals may be stored, each signal neglecting or adoptingone cue mark. This simplifies the process of transmitting CMs, somewhat.

[0081] B1: BY-side CM equivalent conditions

[0082] The BY-side CM equivalent conditions are applied to determinewhich supplier pays which supplier for the CMs transmitted during theprescribed period. These conditions are as follows:

[0083] When the CM set including the CM in question is transmitted, theCM sponsor section 20 pays 10 yen to the authoring section 30 only once,no matter how many CMs the CM sponsor section 20 has transmitted.However, the CM sponsor section 20 must pay 20 yen to thecharge-settling section 50 every time it transmits a CM.

[0084] In the data-providing system 100, a CM set is composed of data C1that is defined as follows:

[0085] C1: Name of a CM set and the CM group contained in the CM set(methods of designating means for accessing entities).

[0086] In the data-providing system 100, a CM-transmission list iscomposed of the following data items D1 to D3. Two or more pairs areprovided, each pair consists of one or more CM sets and aCM-transmission list. A pair consisting of one CM set and aCM-transmission list will be described.

[0087] D1: Name of the CM set

[0088] D2: Order in which to transmit the CM groups included in the CMset (the CM groups may be transmitted repeatedly)

[0089] To broadcast the same CM repeatedly in a program, the dataidentifying the CM appears several times in the CM-transmission list.

[0090] D3: CM advantages/disadvantages

[0091] The CM advantages/disadvantages are conditions applied when theuser receives a CM group during the prescribed period. The conditionsare as follows:

[0092] When a CM set is selected, the incentive points of the CMsponsors are added, and +300 points are added to the account of theterminal (user) controlled by a charge-settling system. The cash-back ofthe CM advantages and disadvantages is −200 yen. In the data-providingsystem 100, each CM set is paired with a group of program codes, eachdesignating one program to be inserted in the CM, in order to insert theCM set into various programs.

[0093] The CM set, <CM 34, CM 56, CM 22>, may be used for program 23,program 134 and program 344. If so, the program code group is <23, 134,344>.

[0094] CM sets of the same program code group are not always describedin the same CM-transmission list. This is because CM sets may betransmitted in an order different from the order they are arranged inthe program code group.

[0095] The advantages and disadvantages determined in the data-providingsystem 100 are those, which the user may have when he receives a programor a combination of program and CMs. They are determined from theprogram prices for users and the CM advantages and disadvantages.

[0096] Assume that a CM set 445 is inserted in the program 1234 as shownin FIG. 9. The program 1234 has the prices for users (A1), and the CMset 445 has the CM advantages/disadvantages (D3). The advantages anddisadvantages the user has when he receives the combination of theprogram 1234 and the CM set 445 are calculated as follows:

[0097] (1) If no CMs are received (if no CMs are inserted in theprogram), the user pays 1000 yen and receives 20 points.

[0098] (2) If CMs are received (if any CM set is inserted in theprogram), the user pay 600 yen (800−200), and receives 300 points.

[0099]FIG. 10 illustrates the relation the CM advantage/disadvantage ofeach CM set has with the BY-side CM equivalent conditions of the CM set.

[0100] The costs of a supplier are calculated in the data-providingsystem 100, as will be described below.

[0101] In the system 100, the transmission server section 30 determines:(i) which program has been transmitted; (ii) which CM has beentransmitted and how many times; (iii) in what condition the program hasbeen transmitted: and (iv) in what condition the CM has beentransmitted.

[0102] On the basis of the facts there are determined the BY-sideprogram equivalent conditions of the program and the BY-side CMequivalent conditions of the CM. From these conditions it is determinedhow equivalents should be paid.

[0103] For example, the charge is settled as follows when a programhaving the BY-side program equivalent conditions (A2) is transmitted,together with a CM having the BY-side CM equivalent conditions (B1).

[0104] The charge-settling section 50 pays 100 yen to theprogram-providing section 10.

[0105] The charge-settling section 50 pays 10 yen to theprogram-providing section 10.

[0106] The charge-settling section 50 pays 10 yen to the transmissionserver section 40.

[0107] The CM sponsor section 20 pays 10 yen to the authoring section30.

[0108] The CM sponsor section 20 pays 20 yen to the charge-settlingsection 50.

[0109] What the user needs to pay has not been specified. If a programhaving the BY-side program equivalent conditions (A2) is transmittedalone, the charge-settling is carried out as will be described below.

[0110] The charge-settling section 50 pays 100 yen to theprogram-providing section 10.

[0111] What the user needs to pay has not been specified. FIG. 11explains how the data supplier's costs are calculated from the BY-sideprogram equivalent conditions of the program 1234 and the BY-side CMequivalent conditions of the CM 22, CM 24 and CM 27.

[0112] In the data-providing system 100, a CM menu is used to select aCM or CMs to be inserted into a program after the user has selected theprogram from the program menu. The user can select any CM from the manyshown in the CM menu. The CM menu is displayed, in most cases along withthe advantages and disadvantages the user may have when he selects a CMor CMs.

[0113] In the data-processing system 100, a control process is effectedwhen a program is selected and a program-transmitting mode is selectedfrom the four alternative modes. The four program-transmitting modesare: (1) transmitting the program along with CM set 4011; (2)transmitting the program together with CM set 501; and (3) totransmitting the program along with no CMs.

[0114] In the program-transmitting mode (1), the CM set 401 is insertedin the program. Therefore, the control process is carried as follows.First, the pointer in the CM-transmission list for the CM set 401 isadvanced every time a cue is detected in the program, thereby detectingthe number of each CM. Then, the presence of a CM is detected from thedata of the CM set 401, which is paired with the program. The name ofany CM transmitted is described in a transmission record (for futureinspection). These steps of the control process are repeated until theprogram terminates.

[0115] Steps S1 to S12 are performed in the data-providing system 100,as will be explained with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 12.

[0116] In the first Step S1, the data-depositing function 10B of theprogram-providing section 10 transmits programs and accompanying data tothe authoring section 30 (Step S1 a). The accompanying data includes theprogram prices for user, the BY-side program equivalent conditions, thepossible cue positions designated, and the like. In the authoringsection 30, the first registering/storing/transmitting function 30Dreceives and stores the programs, program prices for user, BY-sideprogram equivalent conditions and possible cue positions designated, alltransmitted from the program-providing section 10 (Step S1 b). Thecue-mark inserting function 30B inserts cue marks into the programs (S1c), each mark being a signal indicating where in a program a CM can beinserted.

[0117] In the next Step S2, the data-transmitting function 20B of the CMsponsor section 20 transmits a CM group and the equivalent conditions ofthe CMs to the authoring section 30 (Step S2 a). Further, thedata-transmitting function 20B advises the authoring section 30 of theprogram codes to be inserted and the CM advantages/disadvantages, whichhave been proposed (Step S2). In the authoring section 30, the secondregistering/storing/transmitting function 30E receives and stores the CMgroup, CM equivalent conditions, program codes to be inserted and CMadvantages/disadvantages, all supplied from the CM sponsor section 20(Step S2 b). In the authoring section 30, the CM-group designatingfunction 30C composes a group of CM sets, a CM-transmission list, listof CM sets, and a group of program codes to be inserted (Step S2 c).

[0118] In Step S3, the registering/ storing/transmitting functions 30D,30E and 30F transmit all data and accompanying data to the transmissionserver section 40 (Step S3 a). In the transmission server section 40,the archive function 40B records the data and the accompanying data(Step S3 b).

[0119] In Step S4, the terminal-code storing/transmitting function 60Bof the terminal section 60 reads a terminal code form a terminal andtransmits the same to the transmission server section 40 (Step S4 a). Inthe transmission server section 40, the process-managing function 40Creceives the terminal code from the terminal section 60 in order tocontrol each terminal (Step S4 b). The menu-transmitting function 40E ofthe transmission server section 40 transmits a program menu to theterminal section 60 (Step S4 c). In the terminal section 60, the programdisplaying/selecting/transmitting function 60C receives and displays theprogram menu transmitted from the transmission server section 40 andselects a program (Step S4 d). Further, the CM-menu displaying function60D of the terminal section 60 requests for results and a CM-variationmenu for the program selected (S4 e). The transmission server section 40transmits the program menu, along with the advantage/disadvantage data,to the terminal section 60 (S4 f). In the terminal section 60, theadvantage/disadvantage displaying function 60E displays theadvantage/disadvantage data transmitted from the terminal section 60 andvarious section buttons (Step S4 g). The CM-menu selecting/transmittingfunction 60F of the terminal section 60 selects a CM menu and transmitsthe same to the transmission server section 40 (Step S4 h). The terminalsection 60 performs a process of controlling each terminal code thatcorresponds to the CM menu selected (Step S4 i).

[0120] In the next Step S5, the archive function 40B of the transmissionserver section 40 transmits the programs recorded in the archive, oneafter another, to the terminal section 60 in the control process (StepS5 a). Then, it is determined whether a CM cue has been inserted or not(Step S5 b). If a CM cue has been inserted, the archive function 40Btransmits a CM clip recorded, to the terminal section 60 in the controlprocess (Step S5 c). The transmission-record storing function 40Jrecords the data showing which CM has been actually transmitted (Step S5d). It is then determined whether the program has terminated or not(Step S5 e). If the program has not terminated yet, the archive function40B transmits the remaining programs recorded, to the terminal function60 in the control process (Step S5 a).

[0121] In Step S6, the reproducing function 60G of the terminal function60 receives and reproduces the data of each program and the auxiliarydata items (Step S6 a).

[0122] In Step S7, the advantage/disadvantage determining function 40Dof the transmission server section 40 determines advantages anddisadvantages from the program prices for user and the CMadvantage/disadvantage (Step S7 a). The result transmitting function 40Htransmits the CM advantage/disadvantage finally determined and theterminal code, to the charge-settling section 50 and terminal function60 (Step S7 b). Thus, in the charge-settling section 50, the terminalsettlement function 50B and settlement-data management DB function 50Dreceive the advantages and disadvantages finally determined for theterminal code, and control the same in the settlement-data management DBof the terminal (Step S7 c). The terminal-settlement function 50F of thecharge-settling section 50 periodically tabulates the advantages anddisadvantages for each terminal and transmits a statement to theterminal, thereby settling charges (Step S7 d).

[0123] In Step S8, the advantage/disadvantage displaying function 60E ofthe terminal section 60 receives and displays the advantages anddisadvantages finally determined and sequentially transmitted from thetransmission server section 40 (Step S8 a).

[0124] In the next Step S9, the charge-settling function 60I of theterminal section 60 receives the periodical statement from thecharge-settling section 50 and performs charge-settling (Step S9 a).

[0125] In Step S10, the charge-calculating function 401 of thetransmission server section 40 calculates the equivalents to betransferred between the players, from the BY-side program equivalentconditions and the BY-side equivalent conditions for each CM included inthe CM set (Step S10 a). The function 401 then transmits the equivalentscalculated to the charge-settling section 50 (Step S10 b).

[0126] In Step S11, the player-charge calculating function 50C of thecharge-settling section 50 receives the equivalents supplied from thetransmission server section 40, which are to be transferred between theplayers, controls the equivalents in the DB of each player to manage theequivalents in the settlement-data management DB function 50E (Step S11a). Further, in the charge-settling section 50, the player-chargecalculating function 50G periodically tabulates the charges each playermust pay and transmits a statement to each player, thus accomplishingcharge-settling (Step S 11 b).

[0127] Further, in Step S12, the charges are settled in thecharge-settling section 50 in accordance with the periodical statementsof the players (Step S12 a). The charge-settling function 10D of theprogram-providing section 10 settles charges in accordance with thestatements for the players, transmitted from the charge-settling section50 (Step S12 b). The charge-settling function 20C of the CM sponsorsection 20 settles charges in accordance with the statements for theplayers, transmitted from the charge-settling section 50 (Step S12 c).Next, the charge-settling function 30G of the authoring section 30settles charges in accordance with the statements for the players,transmitted from the charge-settling section 50 (Step S12 d). Then, thecharge-settling function 40K of the transmission server section 40settles charges in accordance with the statement for the players,transmitted from the charge-settling section 50 (Step S12 e).

[0128]FIG. 13 illustrates the basic structure of the data-providingsystem 100. As shown in FIG. 13, the system 100 comprises three controlunits 1 to 3. The control unit 1 effects a streaming transmission ofdata, or content data that is a combination of the multimedia contents(i.e., program data, or data 1) and auxiliary data items (i.e., data 2and data 3). The control unit 3 automatically organizes a new program byprocessing the program data items generated by dividing a program, theattributes of auxiliary data items (data 4, data 5, data 6, data 7), andthe profile of a user apparatus. The control unit 2 changes the order inwhich the auxiliary data items to be inserted in the program data willbe transmitted.

[0129] Data items 1 to 6 may be all transmitted to a terminal (i.e., adata recording/reproducing apparatus), or only “necessary” data itemsmay be transmitted to the terminal. Alternatively, data items 1 to 6 maybe processed while being held in a server. Moreover, necessary data(i.e., content clip=program data+auxiliary data items) may betransmitted to a terminal in the form of a package medium, compresseddata, a data stream, or a transmission multi-text. In addition, anecessary additional content clip may be transmitted, as data recordedin a package medium, or by means of streaming transmission. The controlunits 1 to 3 may be implemented in a terminal or a server. Furthermore,the profile of the user apparatus can be located in a terminal or aserver, whichever desired.

[0130] The data-providing system 100 enables the user to select any oneof CM sets available, thereby obtaining a combination of a part ofpackaged program data and some of auxiliary data items, by virtue of thecharacteristics of on-demand broadcasting.

[0131] For example, timer-calendar data may be applied to the profile ofthe user apparatus, thereby to replace CMs that no longer need tobroadcast, with new ones. The data about the area where the user livesmay be applied to the profile, in order to replace the national-versionCMs with local-version CMs. Moreover, the data of the user's income maybe applied to the profile, thereby broadcast more or less CMs forexpensive goods. Further, the timer-calendar data may be applied to theprofile, to broadcast programs about cherry-blossom viewing tours at anyplace where the cherry-blossom front has reached. Alternatively, theareas to which the user plans to take a trip may be applied to theprofile, thereby to replace CMs with the CMs for sightseeing in thoseareas.

[0132] In addition, CMs can be selected in accordance with theattributes of the user profile. For example, the type of advertisementand the charge for viewing advertisement can be changed in accordancewith the sex and age of the user.

[0133] Still further, the annual income of the user may be applied tothe profile of the user apparatus. In this case, the guide program forteaching how to prepare annual income report may be revised if the usergets a profit by selling real estate or receives a retirement bonus.

[0134] The business title of the user may be applied to the profile, totransmit a program to the user apparatus, which has been so edited inpart that the user may understand it better than otherwise.

[0135] The information about the stock or bond that the user has boughtmay be applied to the profile of the user apparatus. If so, the user canreceive a stock-market report centering on the very stock he or she hasbought.

[0136] The information about the user's favorite baseball team may beapplied to the profile, so that the user may enjoy a sport programcentering on that baseball team.

[0137] The children's birthdays may be applied to the profile of theuser apparatus, so that an educational program edited may be revised forthe children and then broadcast. Further, the user's tastes for musicmay be applied to the profile, thereby to transmit a BGM program full ofthe user's favorite music to the user apparatus.

[0138] Moreover, the operating schedule of the airline the user oftenuses may be automatically analyzed and the results of analysis may beapplied to the profile of the user apparatus. In this case, the user canenjoy a program in which the flight timetable of that airline isscroll-displayed.

[0139] With the data-providing system 100 it is possible toautomatically update and analyze the profile of the user, wherebyprograms can be revised for the user.

What is claimed is:
 1. A data-providing system comprising: a firstdata-transmitting section for transmitting a continuous stream ofcontent data that consists of multimedia content groups, each composedof program data and auxiliary data items; a control section forprocessing data items obtained by dividing each program data, attributedata of the auxiliary data items and user profile data, thereby toautomatically assemble new data; and a second data-transmitting sectionfor selecting the auxiliary data items to be inserted into the programdata in accordance with the new data assembled by the control section,thereby to transmit a continuous stream of content data that consists ofmultimedia content groups, each composed of the program data and theauxiliary data items.
 2. A data-providing system comprising: a firstdata-transmitting section for transmitting a continuous stream ofcontent data that consists of multimedia content groups, each composedof pre-assembled program data and auxiliary data items; a controlsection for processing data items obtained by dividing each programdata, attribute data of the auxiliary data items and user profile data,thereby to automatically assemble new data; and a seconddata-transmitting section for selecting the auxiliary data items to beinserted into the program data in accordance with the new data assembledby the control section, thereby to transmit a continuous stream of data.3. A data-providing system comprising: a transmission server section forperforming streaming transmission of on-demand programs; and a terminalsection for performing streaming reception of the on-demand programstransmitted from the transmission server section, wherein the terminalsection has a function of selecting a set of auxiliary data items to beinserted into a program, from sets of auxiliary data items, and afunction of transmitting a signal representing the selected set ofauxiliary data items, along with a terminal code of the terminalsection; and the transmission server section has a function of receivingthe signal transmitted from the terminal section and representing theselected set of auxiliary data items, assembling the auxiliary dataitems in real time, and transmitting the same in accordance with atransmission list of auxiliary data items that correspond to the set ofauxiliary data items inserted in a series of programs to be transmittedto the terminal section.
 4. The data-providing system according to claim3 , further comprising a charge-settling section having a function ofperiodically tabulating charge-settling data stored in a data base foreach user and controlled in the terminal section and transmitting astatement to the user, thereby to achieve charge-settling, and afunction of periodically tabulating equivalents calculated to be paidamong suppliers and transmitting a statement to each player, thereby toaccomplish charge-settling.
 5. The data-providing system according toclaim 3 , wherein the terminal section has a function of requesting thetransmission server section for the advantages and disadvantages of aset of auxiliary data items that can be selected, after selecting aprogram that may be supplied to a user, and informing the user of theadvantages and disadvantages of the set of auxiliary data items that canbe selected; and the transmission server section has a function ofdetermining, in response to a request made by the terminal section,advantages and disadvantages from the user price of a program and theadvantages and disadvantages of the auxiliary data items inserted in theprogram and transmitting the advantages and disadvantages thusdetermined, said advantages and disadvantages determined being those theuser may have when the program is transmitted together with theauxiliary data items selected.
 6. The data-providing system according toclaim 4 , wherein the transmission server section has a function oftransmitting the charge-settling data finally obtained about the programselected by a customer who uses the terminal section, to thecharge-settling section and the terminal section; and thecharge-settling section applies the charge-settling data transmittedfrom the transmission server section, to the charge-settling data baseprovided for the terminal section, thereby to manage the charge-settlingdata.
 7. The data-providing system according to claim 4 , wherein thetransmission server section has a function of applying data representingpayment made among suppliers to the data base provided for each player,thereby to manage the payment, when a program is transmitted, togetherwith selected auxiliary data items, in accordance with the supplier-sideequivalent conditions of the program and the supplier-side equivalentconditions of auxiliary data items inserted in the program.
 8. Adata-providing system comprising: an authoring section having a functionof registering, storing and transmitting program prices for user, afunction of registering, storing and transmitting supplier-sideequivalent conditions, a function of designating positions at which toinsert auxiliary data items into a program, a function of designatingauxiliary data items to be inserted into a program from auxiliary datalibraries, and a function of determining an order in which to transmitthe auxiliary data items prepared for a program and holding the orderdetermined, in the form of an auxiliary data transmission list; atransmission server section for transmitting a continuous stream ofcontent data that consists of multimedia content groups, each being anassembly prepared and composed of program data and auxiliary data items;and a terminal section for performing streaming reception of theon-demand programs transmitted from the transmission server section,wherein the terminal section has a function of selecting a set ofauxiliary data items to be inserted into a program, from sets ofauxiliary data items, and a function of transmitting a signalrepresenting the selected set of auxiliary data items, along with aterminal code of the terminal section; and the transmission serversection has a function of receiving the signal transmitted from theterminal section and representing the selected set of auxiliary dataitems, assembling the auxiliary data items in real time, andtransmitting the same in accordance with a transmission list ofauxiliary data items that correspond to the set of auxiliary data itemsinserted in a series of programs to be transmitted to the terminalsection.
 9. The data-providing system according to claim 8 , wherein theauthoring section designates groups of auxiliary data items to beinserted into a program, from the plurality of auxiliary data libraries.10. The data-providing system according to claim 8 , wherein theauthoring section determines an order in which to transmit the auxiliarydata items prepared for a program and holding the order determined, inthe form of an auxiliary data transmission list.
 11. The data-providingsystem according to claim 8 , wherein the authoring section further hasa function of registering, storing and transmitting advantages anddisadvantages a user has when a series of auxiliary data itemsdesignated in at least one auxiliary data transmission list aretransmitted.
 12. The data-providing system according to claim 8 ,wherein the authoring section further has a function of registering,storing and transmitting the equivalents to be paid among suppliers whenthe auxiliary data items in the auxiliary data transmission list aretransmitted and the auxiliary data equivalent conditions that are anorder to moving data.
 13. A transmission server for processing dataitems obtained by dividing each program data, attribute data of theauxiliary data items, and user profile data, thereby to automaticallyassemble data, selecting a group of auxiliary data items to be insertedinto the program data, in accordance with the data thus assembled, andtransmitting a stream of the group of auxiliary data items.
 14. Thetransmission server according to claim 13 , wherein in response to arequest made by the terminal section, advantages and disadvantages aredetermined from the user price of a program and the advantages anddisadvantages of the auxiliary data items inserted in the program andtransmitting the advantages and disadvantages thus determined, saidadvantages and disadvantages determined being those the user may have interms of service charge when the program is transmitted together withthe auxiliary data items selected.
 15. A data terminal apparatus havinga function of performing streaming reception of the on-demand programstransmitted from a transmission server, selecting a set of auxiliarydata items to be inserted into a program, from sets of auxiliary dataitems, and transmitting a signal representing the selected set ofauxiliary data items, along with a terminal code of the terminalsection.
 16. The data terminal apparatus according to claim 15 , furtherhaving a function of requesting the transmission server for theadvantages and disadvantages of a set of auxiliary data items that canbe selected, after selecting a program that may be supplied to a user,and informing the user of the advantages and disadvantages transmittedfrom the transmission server.
 17. An authoring apparatus having afunction of registering, storing and transmitting program prices foruser, a function of registering, storing and transmitting supplier-sideequivalent conditions, a function of designating positions at which toinsert auxiliary data items into a program, a function of designatingauxiliary data items to be inserted into a program from auxiliary datalibraries, and a function of determining an order in which to transmitthe auxiliary data items prepared for a program and holding the orderdetermined, in the form of an auxiliary data transmission list.
 18. Theauthoring apparatus according to claim 17 , for designating groups ofauxiliary data items to be inserted into a program, from the pluralityof auxiliary data libraries.
 19. The authoring apparatus according toclaim 17 , for determining an order in which to transmit the auxiliarydata items prepared for a program and holding the order determined, inthe form of an auxiliary data transmission list.
 20. The authoringapparatus according to claim 17 , farther having a function ofregistering, storing and transmitting advantages and disadvantages auser has when a series of auxiliary data items designated in at leastone auxiliary data transmission list are transmitted.
 21. The authoringapparatus according to claim 17 , further having a function ofregistering, storing and transmitting the equivalents to be paid amongsuppliers when the auxiliary data items in the auxiliary datatransmission list are transmitted and the auxiliary data equivalentconditions that are an order to moving data.
 22. A data-providing methodcomprising the steps of: processing data items obtained by dividing eachprogram data, attribute data of the auxiliary data items, and userprofile data, thereby to automatically assemble data; selecting a groupof auxiliary data items to be inserted into the program data inaccordance with the data thus assembled; and transmitting a continuousstream of content data that consists of multimedia content groups, eachcomposed of program data and auxiliary data items.
 23. A data-providingmethod comprising the steps of: transmitting a continuous stream ofcontent data that consists of multimedia content groups, each composedof program data and auxiliary data items; processing data items obtainedby dividing each program data, attribute data of the auxiliary dataitems and user profile data, thereby to automatically assemble new data;and selecting the auxiliary data items to be inserted into the programdata in accordance with the new data assembled by the control section,thereby to transmit a continuous stream of data.
 24. A data-providingmethod comprising the steps of: selecting a set of auxiliary data itemsto be inserted into a program, from sets of auxiliary data items, at aterminal that receives a stream of on-demand programs from atransmission server; transmitting from the terminal a signalrepresenting the selected set of auxiliary data items, along with aterminal code of the terminal section; receiving, at the transmissionserver, the signal transmitted from the terminal and representing theselected set of auxiliary data items; assembling, in the transmissionsever, the auxiliary data items in real time in accordance with atransmission list of auxiliary data items that correspond to the set ofauxiliary data items inserted in a series of programs to be transmittedto the terminal; and transmitting the auxiliary data items from thetransmission server.